Ride Day 2024 - Napa

Ride day 2024. My friend was being his usual grouchy (but kind) self, so someone I know adorned his car windows with a hand covered in a glove covered in peanut butter. Since the person with a peanut butter palm was a volunteer, there were few repercussions....mainly some laughs, and a some lectures on how hard it is to remove peanut butter from surfaces. 

 

Look at all the 11s

I was enjoying seeing the sunset while waiting at the airport. 

When I looked at the image later I saw all the 11s. :)

 

Fungi on tree

May not be nice for the tree, but kind of nice hangout for Fungi. 

 

Paper wasp nests, native rose, twin berry, scratched tree - Pt. Reyes

Above: Native Rose . Below: Twin Berry. Pt. Reyes walk. 

Above: Paper Wasp nest...likely fallen and abandoned. Below Paper Wasp a cell section at top of nest

Below -- lots of spring like curls on this. It looked a bit metallic in the light. 

Below: Scratched tree...mountain lions, bobcats.

Below: Some sort of non-insect invasion on the leaves.
 

Silk dresses from scarves -- more!

 

Trying to reduce the scarf pile -- created more dresses.

Peaceful view

Was fortunate to experience a full relax with this view in my eyes. 
 

Lovely Day

 

Friends flew up from LA area for a day visit. Had fun in a relaxed but gallivanting way. View above was at a late afternoon rest spot. So so special for them to share their hearts with me in this way. 

Marin County Civic Center Spire

 

A close up view of the spire at the Marin County Civic Center.  Quite a history with this building. 

Below -- while under construction - 1959/1960. Photographs from my parents took many years ago...I just snapped picture from the slides, so not as clear as the slide reveals, but gives an idea. Second below, view from the first building (County) looking over to the lake there before it was developed.  And, then a view of the fountains at the lake -- wish they still kept them running. The design of Frank Lloyd Wright was to have the fountain flow from the County Offices (as it does today), but also symbolically flow to the lake with those fountains ushering the water into the lake.  Likely something to do with government for the people and the good of the land.  We won't even get into the Earth globe that was installed at the Post Office, angled to the Spire  - the symbolism there. County took it down the Earth  years ago -- it should go back up, as not only was it part of the architecture and the "message," but it was fun to walk by and see at night -- lighted from within,

Early on the beach

Early on the beach. So nice watch the tide. 

  

Reunion -- friends from 20+ years ago. :)

Six of us got together for a wonderful long weekend with each other. Chicago was our venue this time...we plan on doing it again in the next couple years -- not waiting the decades like we did this time. Wonderful to be with such down to earth people and share meaningful conversations as well as laughs. 

We had worked together for a large company, but our friendship inside the corporate doors as well as outside was an absolutely strengthening aspect of our time in that place. We did good too!   

 

Pin the Water Bottle on the Bike game --

 

We played "Pin the Water Bottle on the Bike" game for birthday celebration of an avid cyclist. Not surprisingly (well, kind of), he was by far the closest to the water bottle holder. Mean trickster put a can in front of a blindfolded player -- and she placed it on the can -- which....contained liquid, so, in a way, right on. 

Creepy Crawlers - Figure, Wolf, and Hand

 

I gave my sister a Creepy Crawlers set many years ago. We were adults.  She had observed that we didn't have a set as kids, likely as it was considered a toy for boys. Our parents weren't really limiting that way, encouraging their girls and boy to be who they wanted to be (as long a good person), but somehow a Creepy Crawlers oven didn't make it into our home. I did get to play with one at Susan's house -- her brother Ken had the set. So, I did not feel so deprived! 

Anyhow, upcoming birthday for another adult sibling, and I decided to was time to revive it for all. The goo stuff was separated .. liquid and "plastic stuff," but I warmed it for a while with my hands, and 15 seconds in microwave, and it mixed up well enough to create these figures. I have about 8 more bottles of color to reconstitute.  Another good thing -- the Creepy Crawlers oven uses a light bulb for heat -- the "old fashioned" kind....not LED.  Luckily, had a few on hand, likely from the first time the set was used -- small opening, candelabra style. Time is even more limited, as once those bulbs gone, it's over. Though -- if used once every 25 years, it might just carry us through. :)   

Many bug legs to use too....exciting. 

Sky Trail

Walk under trees with views peeking (peaking) out here and there. 

On my back on a fallen tree, looking up. 

 

Urn, Vase with lid - Soda Fire

 

Pulled this together rather quickly on last day of class we could work on wet clay. Those balls are on top of balls -- it was a lot of rolling and slip!  Used soda fire to add some "vintage" and with hope that it would obscure some of my messy work with the balls -- was doing it so fast, couldn’t  take the amount of time needed to make them all clean at the joins.  All the rest is thrown. 

Vase - ceramics

 

Kept it un-glazed because I wanted simple and natural to work with the shape of the piece. 

Rod's Bod clay. All thrown on the wheel. 

Bowl - to flip rice with tadich

 

Made a ceramic bowl the "perfect" size to put over the pot I in which I cook tadich. This way I can flip, and hopefully have an unbroken plain of tadich! The golden brown of the rice to catch highlights in the glaze.  Bowl is bigger than what it looks in this picture. 

   

In the kiln…soda and regular high fire

 

This is in soda fire..haven’t used the glaze before, so will see. Glad the top of the piece is aligned in kiln with the bottom. 

Lower photo includes a larger bowl I made…hope my messy edge of glaze melts nicely. 

Ceramic Sculptures -- now with bases

Both are made of clay. Like the plexiglass for color and light. The one with the pink may get changed to full sheet to cover the wood...in decision process.  (The wood is clean cut....the little jag at the right there is a less than prefect background erase). Both pieces inspired by gallery/museum visits last month on the same weekend -- Berkeley(sculpture)  and deYoung (painting). 

Texture on the brown piece. 

 

Wildflower walk - one of many - Andrews Clintonioan

 

Andrews Clintonian.

Ceramic Sculpture - Soda Fire

Soda Fire...Saint John's black. Inspired by a Robert Motherwell painting at recent de Young visit. 

Up close color takes on more dimensions than this photograph.